A 21-year-old white male named James 'Jimmy' Hendricks was discovered deceased on June 17, 1978, in Pemiscot County, Missouri. His body was found near the Arkansas border, the victim of a violent homicide. An autopsy revealed that he had suffered three gunshot wounds to his neck and head. For nearly four decades, his identity remained a mystery to local authorities, and he was known only as a John Doe. Investigators noted distinctive features, including a tattoo with the initials 'J' and 'H' on his right arm and a vertical scar on his forehead, but without modern forensic technology or a missing persons report matching his description, the case went cold.
At the time of his death, Hendricks had been traveling with a companion, Kimberlin Mills, who was also found murdered on the same day. Her body was discovered approximately fifteen miles away in Blytheville, Arkansas, across the state line. Authorities determined that both victims had likely been killed by the same individual. Witnesses reported seeing the pair together at a truck stop in Missouri shortly before the murders occurred, and it is believed they may have been hitchhiking or accepted a ride from an unknown man who subsequently attacked them.
The investigation was hampered for years by a lack of leads and the fact that neither victim had been reported missing by their families. It was later revealed that Hendricks was a parole absconder from Michigan, which likely contributed to his family's reluctance or delay in contacting law enforcement, as they believed he had fled the state to avoid authorities. The case files themselves suffered damage due to flooding over the years, leading to the loss of original fingerprint records, though dental charts and DNA evidence were preserved.
A significant breakthrough occurred in May 2017, thirty-nine years after the murder. Missouri State Highway Patrol investigators utilized updated fingerprint matching technology to re-examine the evidence. This new analysis successfully linked the victim's prints to records held by the Michigan Department of Corrections, positively identifying him as James Hendricks of Flint, Michigan. Following his identification, investigators were able to locate his family members and subsequently identify Kimberlin Mills through DNA comparison with her brother, closing the identification chapter of the cold case in early 2018.
Despite the successful identification of both victims, no specific suspect has been publicly named or charged in connection with the murders. Police have stated that the investigation remains active and that they are seeking a single perpetrator responsible for both deaths. No arrests have been made, and the individual who was seen dropping them off or picking them up at the truck stop has never been located. The case remains open as authorities hope that the identification of the victims might eventually lead to new information regarding the person responsible for ending their lives.
